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Monroe City Council extends ban on medical marijuana
Posted: 01.18.2012 at 12:22 AM
Angi Gonzalez

Angi is the evening anchor for WNWO at 6 and 11.

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The Monroe City Council discusses extending its moratorium on  growing, selling or dispensing medical marijuana.  / Michael Melchiorre
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MONROE, MICHIGAN -- On Tuesday, Monroe's City Council voted once again to extend a moratorium on growing, selling or dispensing medical marijuana.

After a recommendation from the Citizen's Planning Commission, presented during a public statement by Monroe's Director of Economic and Community Development Dan Swallow, council members voted to continue the city's current ban for another 180 days.

The Council also voted to potentially revisit their decision following a work session, on the issue, to be held in 60 days.

"This allows is to continue to work on a process that works best for the City of Monroe. For all of our residents, not just those that are medical marijuana providers or qualified patients," Monroe Mayor Robert E. Clark said.

Not everyone at the meeting agreed with the decision, including Monroe resident Frank Grzywacki. 

"If you've got cancer, people are not going to wait 180 days to get their treatment if it’s recommended by a doctor," Grzywacki told the Council.

Mayor Clark argues that not the case, “We aren't preventing people from obtaining their marijuana. We're not preventing them from complying with the laws as they are currently written, but [the current law] doesn't speak to dispensaries, it doesn't speak to patient to patient [regulations] and it doesn't speak to local ordinances as to where it's permitted."

Grzywacki says he still disagrees with continuing a complete moratorium because 64% of Michigan voters voted to pass the legislation and "there has to be some part of the law that is clear."

Following the meeting Clark responded in an interview with WNWO, "there is so much non-information and misinformation about the current legislation. Truly the citizens did pass this state law. However, there have been so many complications; I know that state legislators, senators and representatives, are revisiting some adjustments to it."

In late 2008, Michigan voters passed a law giving certain legal protections to patients who use the drug for medicinal purposes.

Soon after, Monroe officials decided to institute a moratorium on those new freedoms.

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